Patrick Cote and Ben Saunders are two fighters that have both taken more than one turns in the UFC. Each was looking to Sunday night’s fight at UFC Fight Night 81 at TD Garden in Boston as the one that could earn a spot in the official UFC welterweight rankings.
With the way that Cote performed, it’s likely that he’ll finally crack the ranks.
While Saunders opened by trying to utilize his considerable height and reach advantage, Cote remained calm and quietly amassed numerous leg kicks to soften Saunders’ stance.
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Saunders adjusted and eventually tripped Cote to the mat about two minutes into the fight. Cote was strong of his back, however, clinching tight and keeping Saunders from mounting any significant offense.
Cote eventually found an opening from his back and swung out for an armbar attempt. It was deep, but Saunders, also an adept grappler, eventually fended off the attempt, although he had to go give up top position to do so.
While on top in Saunders’ guard, Cote did a good job mounting offense, periodically standing and dropping heavy punches to his foe’s head, easily winning the first round.
Cote only built on his momentum as the second round started, landing a furious flurry of punches in the first minute of the frame. As a multi-punch combination found its mark, Cote slipped one hand behind Saunders’ head to clinch and unloaded with numerous uppercuts, dropping him to the canvas.
The Canadian followed him down, dropping several hammerfists to the head, which forced the referee to stop the fight.
Having made his Octagon debut at UFC 50, it was an important victory for Cote, who finally tipped the UFC scale in his favor.
“Every win is a bonus for me. I’m 35 years old. This was my fight nineteen in this cage and finally I have a winning record in the UFC,” he declared. “I’m 10 and 9. That’s a good night for me tonight.”
Cote’s overall professional record now stands at 22-9, but most importantly, he is 5-1 since moving to welterweight, and has won three consecutive fights.
“I’m the only one left from old school Canadian MMA. It was me and Sam Stout, but now that he’s retired it’s just me and it’s an honor to be the face of Canadian MMA right now,” added Cote, who wasn’t shy about calling for a top opponent.
“I want a top-15 opponent next; or there’s a guy coming back in August, his name is Nick Diaz, let’s do it Nick.”
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